Hanger



April 20, 1954 Filed Jan. 27, 1953 L. F. PORTER HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 5,

" Les/1'8 F. Porfer JNVENTOR.

April 20, 1954 L. F. PORTER HANGER 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Jan. 27, 1953 &

Leslie Porfer INVENTOR.

9 BY W W Patented Apr. 20, 1954 HANGER Leslie F. Porter, Atlanta, Ga., assignor of fifty per cent to Edward J. Hurley, Logansport, Ind.

Application January 27, 1953, Serial No. 333,433

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a clothing or garment rack or hanger, and more particularly to a clothes hanger adapted to be mounted within the interior of an automobile.

An object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger which is simple yet sturdy in construction and which may readily be assembled or disassembled within an automobile body.

Another object oi this invention is to provide a clothes hanger which may be conveniently positioned in an automobile and which will present nodetrimental obstruction to the view of the driver. I

A further object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger for use in automobiles upon which clothes may be hung in such a position a-sto cause little or no interference with either the physical comiert'or well being of occupants of such vehicle.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger in conformity with the above objects and which embodies a portion which may be swung between an operative and inoperative position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a portion of an automobile with its roof broken away and showing the positioning of the hanger assembly, an alternate position being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the manner of attaching the hanger in operative position in a vehicle and further showing in dotted lines a garment hung in operative position on the device;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the details of mounting of one end of the hanger;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of anintermediate portion of the hanger assembly;

Figure'5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing an end portion of the removable hanger;

Figure 6 is a vertical section similar to Figure 3 but showing a modified form of hanger;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the modified hanger shown in Figure 6; and V Figure 8 is a vertical section similar to Figures 2 3 and 6 showing a modified form of fastener and hanger-element.

j Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral l0 indicates generally an automobile or similar vehicle provided with a front seat l2, a rear seat I l and a roof I15. The roof is provided with the usual cross-bracing members 13 and the headliner 20 forming a protective and ornamental covering tor the underside of the roof.

This invention contemplates the use of blocks or brackets22 welded or otherwise suitably secured to cross-braces is and extending between the cross-braces and the headliner 20, presentins alower face 24 communicating with the interior of the vehicle.

Itis preferred that the bracket be positioned substantially in vertical alignment with the back of the front seat and the-back of the rear seat,

respectively, and that each of the four brackets as shown be positioned at the corner of a square so that the hanger assemblies indicated generally I at 25 may extend between any two adjacent brackets, the preferred positioning of the hangers being shown in full lines in Figure 1 and an alternate positioning being shown in dotted lines.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 3-5, one form of hanger assembly contemplates the use of an intermediate portion comprising an elongated rod 28 which terminate at each of its ends in a laterally offset ear 30 presenting apertures 32 through which the pivot bolts 34 are engaged. The intermediate portion of th hanger is shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 shows one of the end portions of the hanger and which comprises an L-shaped member having one leg 35 thereof provided with an aperture 38 and through which the described pivot bolt also extends. As clearly shown in Figure 3, the washer 4G and nut 42 complete the securement of pivot bolt 34 through the apertures 32 and 38 by which the rod portion 23 i pivotally secured to the end portion 36.

The other leg 44 of each end portion terminates in the furcation 46 presenting the intermediate slot 43 and through which the thumb screw 50 extends into threaded engagement with the brackets 22 whereby the shoulder 52 of the screw clampingly engages the bifurcated end portion against the bracket. In this manner, when one of the hanger assemblies is disposed between any two adjacent brackets, the intermediate hanger portion 28 may be pivoted about the bolt 33 to a position adjacent the headliner when it is not required to be utilized in hanging garments or clothe therefrom. When it is desired to utilize the hanger assembly, it is merely necessary to swing the intermediate portion downwardly from its inoperative position adjacent the headliner to the position shown wherein garments 54, as indicated by dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2, may be properly positioned and hung.

In this respect, it will be noted that due to the particular positioning of the various brackets 22, any garment hung on the hanger assemblies will not interfere with occupants of either the front or rear seat and, due to their lateral spacing, will not present an obstruction to the drivers view through the rear view mirror, which line of view extends generally along the longitudinal center line of the vehicle. In this manner, garments or clothes, when hung, will not have a detrimental effect upon either the physical comfort or well being of occupants of the vehicle.

With more particular reference now to Figures 6 and 7, a modified form of hanger assembly is shown wherein the intermediate portion 56 comprises an elongated rod having laterally offset ends 58 which are rigidly secured to bifurcated end portions 60, the manner of securement to the brackets 22 being identical with the form shown in Figure 3.

In either case, the hanger assemblies are readily removed from the brackets by merely manipulating the thumb screws 50 wherein the hangers or racks may be conveniently stored until such time as they are needed.

In Figure 8, an alternative form of fastening screw is shown which comprises a threaded portion 62 threadedly engaged with brackets 22 and which terminate in an apertured head 64 within which an elongated ring 65 is pivotally secured. This fastener may be used, as shown in Figure 8, as a separate hanger element, as presented by the elongated ring 66. Of course, this alternate fastener element may be used in conjunction with either of the hanger assemblies shown in Figures 3 and 6, respectively, and in such instances, may be utilized as an additional point of securement for hung garments.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A clothes rack 'for automobiles comprising a plurality of brackets adapted to be attached to an automobile roof, a hanger extending between said brackets, means removably securing said hanger to said brackets, said hanger having bifurcated end portions and an intermediate laterally offset portion, said intermediate portion comprising an elongated rod having an ear at each end thereof, each of said ears having an aperture laterally offset from the axis of said rod, means for pivotally connecting said ears to said end portions, each of said bifurcated end portions having a laterally offset leg to which th ears are secured, said legs and said ears being offset substantially the same amount.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,232,094 Canfield Feb. 13, 1941 2,447,908 Hoots Aug. 24, 1948 2,542,163 Swalwell Feb. 20, 1951 

